The subject of the present invention is an improved hydrocarbon conversion process employing a novel catalytic composite. More specifically, the present invention involves an improved reforming process employing a novel dual-function trimetallic catalytic composite having both a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation function and a cracking function which quite surprisingly, shows exceptional activity and resistance to deactivation.
Composites having a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation function and a cracking function are widely used today as catalysts in many industries such as the petroleum and petrochemical industry to accelerate a wide spectrum of hydrocarbon conversion reactions. Generally, the cracking function is thought to be associated with an acid-acting material of the porous, adsorptive, refractory oxide type which is typically utilized as the support or carrier for a heavy metal component such as the metals or compounds of metals of Groups V through VIII of the Periodic Table to which are generally attributed the hydrogenation-dehydrogenation function.
These catalytic composites are used to accelerate a wide variety of hydrocarbon conversion reactions such as hydrocracking, isomerization, dehydrogenation, hydrogenation, desulfurization, cyclization, alkylation, polymerization, cracking, hydroisomerization, etc. In many cases, the commercial applications of these catalysts are in processes where more than one of these reactions are proceeding simultaneously. The present example of this type of process is reforming, wherein a hydrocarbon feed stream containing paraffins and naphthenes is subjected to conditions which promote dehydrogenation of naphthenes to aromatics, dehydrocyclization of paraffins to aromatics, isomerization of paraffins and naphthenes, hydrocracking of naphthenes and paraffins and the like reactions to produce an octane-rich or aromatic-rich product stream. Another example is a hydrocracking process wherein catalysts of this type are utilized to effect selective hydrogenation and cracking of high molecular weight unsaturated materials, selective hydrocracking of high molecular weight materials, and other like reactions, to produce a generally lower boiling, more valuable output stream. Yet another example is an isomerization process wherein a hydrocarbon fraction which is relatively rich in straight-chain paraffin compounds is contacted with a dual-function catalyst to produce an output stream rich in isoparaffin compounds.
It is of critical importance that the dual-function catalysts exhibit not only the capability to initially perform its specified functions, but also that it has the capability to perform them satisfactorily for prolonged periods of time. The analytical terms used in the art to measure how well a particular catalyst performs its intended functions in a particular hydrocarbon reaction environment are activity, selectivity and stability. And for purposes of discussion here, these terms are conveniently defined for a given charge stock as follows: (1) activity is a measure of the catalyst's ability to convert hydrocarbon reactants into products at a specified severity level where severity level means the specific reaction conditions used--that is, the temperature, pressure, contact time, and presence of diluents such as H.sub.2 ; (2) selectivity refers to the amount of desired product or products obtained relative to the amount of reactants charged or converted, (3) stability refers to the rate of change with time of the activity and selectivity parameters--obviously, the smaller rate implying the more stable catalyst. In a reforming process, activity commonly refers to the amount of conversion that take place for a given charge stock at a specified severity level and is typically measured by octane number of the C.sub.5.sup.+ product stream, selectivity refers to the amount of C.sub.5.sup.+ yield that is obtained at a particular activity level; and stability is typically equated to the rate of change with time of activity, as measured by octane number of C.sub.5.sup.+ product, and of selectivity, as measured by C.sub.5.sup.+ yield. Actually, the last statement is not strictly correct because generally a continuous reforming process is run to produce a constant octane C.sub.5.sup.+ product with severity level being continuously adjusted to attain this result; and, furthermore, the severity level is for this process usually varied by adjusting the conversion temperature in the reaction zone so that, in point of fact, the rate of change of activity finds response in the rate of change of conversion temperature and changes in this last parameter are customarily taken as indicative of activity stability.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, the principal cause of observed deactivation or instability of a dual-function catalyst when it is used in a reforming process is associated with the fact that coke forms on the surface of the catalyst during the course of the reaction. More specifically, the conditions utilized typically result in the formation of heavy, high molecular weight, black, solid or semi-solid, carbonaceous material which coats the surface of the catalyst and reduces its activity by shielding its active sites from the reactants. In other words, the performance of this dual-function catalyst is sensitive to the presence of carbonaceous deposits on the surface of the catalyst. Accordingly, the major problem facing workers in this area of the art is the development of more active and selective catalytic composites that are not as sensitive to the presence of these carbonaceous materials and/or have the capability to suppress the rate of the formation of these carbonaceous materials on the catalyst. This sensitivity to formation of carbonaceous materials is amplified as practitioners of the art reduce pressure and increase the severity of processing units in an attempt to extract the maximum octane-barrels from a given feedstock. Viewed in terms of performance parameters, the problem is to develop a dualfunction catalyst having superior activity, selectivity and stability while operating at pressures less than 862 kPa(ga).